The rift is deepening. Nothing came from scratch and it became one of the most crucial moments, the spark of ignition. Against the backdrop of , its top is plagued by internal power games with and on a stable – now – collision course.
The most likely answer is one that comes close to not even knowing what she wants. At a time when developments in the Middle East are rapid, Europe appears uncoordinated with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaya Kalas choosing parallel paths rather than a common path.
The division between the two ladies may be familiar, but it does not cease to expose the leadership of the European Union.
Race for the first statement
In the early hours of Saturday (28/02), as smoke rose over Tehran, Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa were quick to set the tone for the response with a joint statement calling for “maximum restraint”.
The developments in Iran are greatly concerning. We remain in close contact with our partners in the region.
We reaffirm our steadfast commitment to safeguarding regional security and stability.
Ensuring nuclear safety and preventing any actions that could further escalate…
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen)
Kaya Kalas had moved faster and with half an hour difference she had managed to talk about “exploring diplomatic solutions”. Kalas and von der Leyen were unable to speak directly to each other and move in concert.
The latest developments across the Middle East are perilous.
Iran’s regime has killed thousands. Its ballistic missile and nuclear programmes, along with support for terror groups, pose a serious threat to global security. The EU has adopted strong sanctions against Iran and…
— Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas)
“The rivalry between Kaja Kalas and Ursula von der Leyen is obvious,” Marie-Agne Strack-Zimmermann, liberal chair of the European Parliament’s defense and security committee, told . “It reflects a division of responsibilities in European foreign policy that is not always clearly balanced.”
Analysts argue that the president of the European Commission is overstepping her role when leading the EU’s foreign policy, while many argue that she is simply filling the gap left by the slow coordination of member states. So we are witnessing yet another showdown for the reins of foreign policy, while the world literally burns.
“The only way for the EU to matter in this crisis is for us to stay united,” an EU official told Politico, who, like others, requested anonymity to speak freely about sensitive diplomacy.
“This is solid in terms of their dynamics,” another said of the split, while a third said it was “no secret and nothing new” that von der Leyen and her team of commissioners were content “to oust Callas.”
Protocol and portfolio issues have become decisive for the Union, said an EU diplomat attending the meeting of foreign ministers on Sunday (01/03). “The Brussels bubble centers on who should speak and on what legal basis.”
For Kaya Callas, Ursula von der Leyen is a dictator
It hasn’t been long since Politico’s revealing article about the two’s relationship. It concerned a leaked private conversation between Kala and a senior official in Brussels
“In private conversations, Kaya Kalas refers to von der Leyen as a dictator,” he says, adding, however, that “there is little she can do to change that.” Indicative of the leak’s validity? The Commission never denied it.
Historically, international relations have been the responsibility of those holding Callas’ position as high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, and she and the European External Action Service (EEAS) — the EU’s diplomatic arm — have a mandate that is separate from von der Leyen’s. However, with geopolitics increasingly influencing the EU’s core functions, the Commission President and her team are playing an increasingly central role.
Callas is accused by von der Leyen’s entourage of following her own policy on many international issues. von der Leyen has removed the Mediterranean region from Callas’ portfolio, having created parallel bodies for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf, which simply “weaken” the direct leadership of the EU “Foreign Minister”.
Brussels cut in two
“Emergencies, aid, support of our nationals, implications for supply chains, airspace closures, potential increase in immigration, cyberspace, jurisdiction over possible Iranian covert cells — all of it [συντονίζονται] by the European Commission,” said an official.
While it is Callas’ prerogative to deal with diplomats, the official said the Foreign Affairs Council held failed to reach a clear consensus, so it was now up to the von der Leyen Commission to decide how to proceed.
Rumors of a personal feud between the two are just “a media cliché about two women not getting along,” she added.
Under EU rules, neither the Commission nor its president has a formal role in foreign policy. The Commission’s main tasks are to propose legislation, ensure its implementation by Member States and manage the EU budget, while also negotiating international agreements.
The diplomatic coordination of the EU is officially led by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaya Kalas, while the President of the European Council Antonio Costa is responsible for the representation of the EU abroad on behalf of the heads of state and government, including for the common foreign and security policy.
The “game” of digital diplomacy
In just 48 hours, Ursula von der Leyen posted 10 posts on X, a flurry of digital diplomacy that contrasted sharply with the more cautious way she has handled other recent crises, such as the unrest in Venezuela earlier this year.
On Saturday (28/02), while Kaja Kalas tried to push forward a discussion at the level of Foreign Ministers by convening a Foreign Affairs Council for emergency talks the next day (01/03), Ursula von der Leyen’s powerful partner and chief of staff, Bjorn Seibert, contacted the top Commissioners’ teams to inform them of the convening of a meeting of the ‘College’ of Security” on Monday (02/03) to coordinate a logistical and practical response.
“The EU has a high representative and she should probably be supported in doing her job,” said Dan Barna of Renew and a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
“We have to decide if we want an institutional change – if we want to give more foreign policy functions to the Commission,” said Nacho Sánchez Amor, the lead Socialist lawmaker on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee. “Our partners around the world are right – they often don’t know who to turn to.”
Is the head of the Commission “scissoring” Kala’s position?
Von der Leyen’s tweet announcing her phone call with the president of the United Arab Emirates Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan caused reactions.
Just spoke to of the United Arab Emirates.
I conveyed our full support and extended our condolences following Iran’s strikes and the resulting casualties.
Europe strongly condemns these unjustifiable attacks.
These attacks constitute a blatant violation of…
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen)
“She’s trying to lead in an area that shouldn’t be her area,” Marc Botenga, a Belgian left-wing MEP, told . “He is trying to consolidate power. If she does these things without a mandate, it’s not going to strengthen her position. There is a concern about the way she is doing her job,” Botenga added.
Numerous political analysts have also accused the Commission president of overstepping her authority.
“When von der Leyen invites Gulf leaders to discuss regime change in Iran, she is operating well outside her bounds and against the terms,” Alberto Alemanno, professor of EU law at HEC Paris Business School, told Euronews.
Guntram Wolff, Bruegel’s senior associate, considers the criticism exaggerated, arguing that von der Leyen’s sensitivity can sometimes be an advantage.
“It fills a void when some Member States struggle to react and sometimes react really slowly to political developments. In the case of Ukraine, he has really taken on a very important leadership role, which I think one should appreciate and evaluate positively,” he said.
For Wolff, the expansion of the Commission president’s influence on foreign policy reflects a wider institutional issue.
“It is not the Commission president who can achieve this,” he said, referring to von der Leyen’s early call for regime change in Iran. “This is a tough foreign policy issue where it is up to the Member States, the High Representative and the Council to take a stand.”
The clash between the two highlights a wider problem for the EU at a time of overlapping crises, from Russia’s war in Ukraine to war in the Middle East.
As the Union seeks to project transatlantic unity, institutional disputes in Brussels have complicated efforts to become a credible geopolitical actor.
With information from Politico, Euronews.
